Sprint cellphone users who have DCL cruised

[bradisgoofy]

Has anyone used their Sprint phone while on a Disney cruise? If so, how did Sprint charge you? e.i. - normal rates, roaming rates, international rates ($$$).
TIA

 

[hchik05]

this is a great question! ...if only i had an answer to it..........b/c i was wondering the exact same thing.lol!

 

[lbuher]

We have Sprint, and I called before we left and quickly decided that we would just turn our phones OFF and leave them OFF the entire time! I want to say the rate was going to be something like $2.49/minute. You could purchase the international calling plan for something like $5, and then the rate would be $1.99/minute. Decided it just wasn't worth it to run the risk of having any usage charges at all. Turned them off when we left PC and turned them back when we got back.

So I have no idea what the charges would have actually been had we used them, but that's what we were told when we told them we were sailing to the Bahamas.

 

[jel0511]

If you use your cell phone onboard, the cell provider (Cellular at Sea) will charge you 2.49 per minute. Some cell providers add a surcharge on top of that, some do not. Check with your individual provider. We have ATT, who owns Cellular at Sea, so it's 2.49 for us. I just turn it off once we leave Port Canaveral.

 

[Brooklyn]

When on the ship AT SEA it is $2.49 a minute. I have used it to check messages and that is all that I have been charged.

If wanting to use your phone in other countries you have to make sure it will work internationally. Our blackberry phones will not work internationally but will work while out at sea throughout our sailing.

While at sea Sprint will not charge "roaming" charges unless the phone makes or recieves calls. That is not the case for internet charges. You have to make sure all of that is turned off while using your phone at sea. Sprint does not allow texting but some carriers do at sea.

Here is a link to Sprint for cell phone use at sea...

http://www.nextel.com/en/services/worldwide/cruise_ship_roaming_sprint.shtml

I have found the best way to get info is to so a "chat" with a representative. Then you can have the transcript of the chat emailed to you just in case there are any problems with the information that has been given to you after receiving your bill.

 

[nick262]

It also depends on the cruise you are on. We have done the Eastern and have been able to use our Sprint phones both times in St Thomas under our current plan with no extra charges. St Thomas is a US port and Sprint includes it in their US plans.

Your best bet is to call Sprint and tell them where you are going and see if any ports are in your plan.

 

[Fatima1922]

Did a 3 night cruise in December. I made several calls using my sell phone. We have Sprint and it was in fact $2.49 per minute. There were no surcharges during that trip. Don't know about 7 night cruises.

 

[HappyPeach]

We have sprint and called to ask before our cruise last month. Our phones worked in St. Thomas with no problem. We were told that we'd be charged the 2.50 per minute for calls while at sea -- they even said we'd be charged for incoming texts. We decided it was best to shut the phones off altogether except when in port.

 

[tvguy]

We have sprint and called to ask before our cruise last month. Our phones worked in St. Thomas with no problem. We were told that we'd be charged the 2.50 per minute for calls while at sea -- they even said we'd be charged for incoming texts. We decided it was best to shut the phones off altogether except when in port.

Cellular at Sea, not Sprint is charging you for use on the ship since on the ship you are using the Cellular at Sea system, not Sprint. That's only fair since I can't even guess how much it costs to install the celluar system on the ship, plus the satellite uplink, and satellite time.

 

[HappyPeach]

Cellular at Sea, not Sprint is charging you for use on the ship since on the ship you are using the Cellular at Sea system, not Sprint. That's only fair since I can't even guess how much it costs to install the celluar system on the ship, plus the satellite uplink, and satellite time.

Well, we didn't call "cellular at sea". We called Sprint and the guy at Sprint said we "should turn the phones off" because of how expensive the charges were. Perhaps with some companies you're charged by both your carrier and C.A.S. Bottom line is, who cares who the charge is from... it's 2.50 a minute.

 

[tvguy]

Well, we didn't call "cellular at sea". We called Sprint and the guy at Sprint said we "should turn the phones off" because of how expensive the charges were. Perhaps with some companies you're charged by both your carrier and C.A.S. Bottom line is, who cares who the charge is from... it's 2.50 a minute.

Sorry, thought you were talking about Sprint charging $2.50 a minute on top of Cellular at Seas $2.49 a minute.
Whenever I see SPRINT, I see . My company switched last year to Sprint.......and now they are livid at the roaming charges we incur because there are so many areas that don't have service that we have to roam on other carriers systems.